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Title Shot Passes Anthony Pettis by at TUF 13 Finale

Filed under: UFC, WECLAS VEGAS – On Thursday, Clay Guida was asked after his workout if the lightweights that merged over from the WEC – and most importantly, his opponent Anthony Pettis – were worthy of the UFC.

“He’s got four or five wins over some…

Filed under: UFC, WEC

LAS VEGAS – On Thursday, Clay Guida was asked after his workout if the lightweights that merged over from the WEC – and most importantly, his opponent Anthony Pettis – were worthy of the UFC.

“He’s got four or five wins over some pretty worthy opponents,” Guida said after a workout at The Palms in Las Vegas. “Are they UFC-worthy? We’ll find out in the next couple months. Is he UFC-worthy? We’ll find out in the next couple days. He didn’t fight any slouches, (but) we’re going to see what he’s made of.”

Pettis didn’t do anything to make anyone think he doesn’t belong in the UFC on Saturday night, despite a 30-27 unanimous decision loss to Guida at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 Finale. But he said after the fight he now knows he has some work to do.

“I feel I had some holes in my game, and Clay Guida and (coach) Greg Jackson did of a good job of having a good game plan,” Pettis said after saying he had no regrets for taking the fight instead of waiting out a lightweight title shot that had been promised him in December. That shot was put on hold after a draw between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, who now are recovering from training injuries before a rematch later this year.

Guida was able to control the fight using an offense that consisted primarily of takedowns and ground control. He took Pettis down five times in the fight and passed his guard four times – three times in the third round. And according to FightMetric, he also outstruck Pettis.

Pettis said it was that control by Guida, which kept him on top much of the fight, that earned him the win. Pettis worked repeatedly for triangles and armbars from guard, but Guida was able to stay busy enough to keep out of imminent danger.

“I think control-wise, he was on top and he did a good job staying on top,” Pettis said. “I couldn’t get my submissions off – I attempted a lot, I hit him a lot, but I understand how the game works. He controlled things, and he won. I knew I had to get off my back to deal with Clay. But I’ll work on it and come back stronger.”

Guida said Pettis’ game from guard gave him problems, as did several highlight-reel kicks that just missed, bringing back memories of his kick off the cage against Ben Henderson when he won the last WEC lightweight title in December.

But if Guida had any doubts on Thursday whether Pettis was ready for the UFC, they were answered Saturday. Guida seems to think so.

“He must have thrown 10 or 12 triangles and armbars,” Guida said. “And he hit me lights-out a couple times. Punched me, elbowed me – tough as nails. He’s got a real tricky guard, and he’s a real talented kid.”

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TUF 13 Finale Results: Jeremy Stephens and the 7 Hardest Hitters in MMA

You can train your boxing, you can work on your wrestling, you can become a wizard at hitting submissions off your back, but the one thing that you can’t learn is the ability to land an explosive right hand and stop any fighter in the world in th…

There are ways to improve power, but the guys who can put anyone out by throwing one solid shot to the chin are a different breed of being. The raw power that these seven fighters have is something they’re just born with, and no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to replicate.

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TUF 13 Finale Results: Was That Win Enough to Earn Clay Guida a Title Shot?

During last night’s finale of Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, Clay Guida grounded former WEC champ and Head Kicker Extraordinaire Anthony Pettis into the matt en route to a unanimous decision victory.Though Pettis looked respectable and may hav…

During last night’s finale of Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, Clay Guida grounded former WEC champ and Head Kicker Extraordinaire Anthony Pettis into the matt en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Though Pettis looked respectable and may have gotten the better of the striking exchanges, Guida’s takedowns, to the surprise of no one, were hard for Showtime to stop, and once on the ground, The Carpenter smothered all submission attempts.

Guida (29-11) has historically been considered a gatekeeper, even something of a lovable loser, in the UFC’s lightweight division. Always a fanbase darling, Guida was well known for repeatedly earning Fight of the Night honors in losing performances to top contenders.

But that may now be changing.

After joining Greg Jackson’s submission wrestling camp, things have seemed to snap into place for Guida, who is 4-1 since hooking up with Jackson. Jackson’s expert eye (especially for all things ground game) have apparently closed a lot of loopholes in The Carpenter’s game. And after defeating a highly regarded champion in Pettis, Guida is that much closer to his long-pursued shot at a UFC title.

So was that enough to earn him the winner of Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar III? It got him close, but the answer is probably no. Or, at least a not yet.

One man still stands between Guida and his shot at the belt. His name is Jim Miller.

Guida is riding an impressive four-fight win streak, but Miller has won his last seven. Moreover, Miller’s only losses have come against the division’s No. 1 and 1a, Edgar and Maynard.

If Miller, like Guida a superb wrestler, can take care of business against Ben Henderson on Aug. 14, Guida should have his title eliminator. Since Maynard vs. Edgar will not happen until fall at the earliest, it looks like Guida will be cooling his heels for a while (at least if he plays it smart). And he deserves it.

We’ll see soon enough how the new and improved Guida handles cream-of-the-crop competition.

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The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale: The 10 Best Participants Not to Win Their Season

Multiple winners of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series have gone onto become UFC champions.But what about those TUF participants who came short of earning that guaranteed six-figure contract with the UFC? Many of these fighters have gone on to very succ…

Multiple winners of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series have gone onto become UFC champions.

But what about those TUF participants who came short of earning that guaranteed six-figure contract with the UFC? Many of these fighters have gone on to very successful UFC careers of their own.

None of these fighters have been able to capture a title, but a couple have come very close and others have become perennial contenders.

Here are the 10 best TUF participants who didn’t win it all on their season.

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Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale Results and Reaction: Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis

TUF 13 Finale Results: Clay Guida vs. Anthony PettisTwo lightweight fighters looking to move up the ranks met on Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev. in the co-main event of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale f…

TUF 13 Finale Results: Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis

Two lightweight fighters looking to move up the ranks met on Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev. in the co-main event of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale fight card.

Anthony Pettis was the last WEC lightweight champion before that promotion was absorbed by the UFC. He was set to face the winner of the January 1 bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, however, that fight ended in a draw, putting Pettis in limbo.

Pettis had no interest in sitting around and waiting so he took the fight with Guida, who came into the fight as an underdog.

As expected, Guida came out at full speed.

To start the action, Guida secured a takedown and Pettis immediately started working submission attempts. The Las Vegas crowd seemed to favor the underdog as chants of “Guida” were heard from the crowd.

Guida delivered punches from the top while Pettis returned the favor from the bottom.

Pettis’ work from his back during the first round was impressive, but one thing we have seen many times over is that no matter how strong a fighter is from their back the judges usually score the round for the other fighter.

Guida started the second round by gaining a takedown and putting Pettis up against the cage and driving him into the fence whenever he had a small opening. Pettis was able to gain his feet, but he remained against the cage.

Once the fighters regained their feet, Pettis tried a spinning back kick that missed, but it looked like it could have done serious damage had it landed. With one minute left in the second round, Guida drove through Pettis for a takedown. Pettis looked for a triangle from his back, but found nothing. As the seconds ticked down, Pettis was able to catch Guida in an armbar as time expired in the round.

The third round began with Guida stalking Pettis around the cage. Guida delivered a right hand and then moved in for another driving takedown. Pettis then looked for another submission that he was unable to secure.

Guida then pushed Pettis into the cage. Pettis was able to gain his feet with 1:40 left in the round and Pettis was able to take the back of Guida with 1:10 left in the round.

Guida slipped out as the crowd chanted his name and took top position. With 15 seconds left Guida took the back of Pettis and finished the fight in back mount.

The reaction of the fighters as the horn sounded most likely told you who the winner was going to be as Guida ran around the cage and Pettis walked to his corner with his hands on his hips.

All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Clay Guida.

The loss will hurt Pettis in the short term. The top of the UFC lightweight division food chain is pretty stacked with Edgar and Maynard fighting for the title once they both heal up. Two other top contenders will be meeting in August when Ben Henderson, the man Pettis defeated for the WEC title, meets Jim Miller at the UFC Live event in Milwaukee, Wis.

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva will have his work cut out for him deciding how to handle the top of the UFC’s lightweight division, a problem which will most likely bring a smile to UFC president Dana White‘s face.

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TUF 13 Finale Results: Clay Guida Finally Has What It Takes to Win a UFC Title

On Saturday night, Clay Guida executed his game plan to perfection, took down a superior striker in Anthony Pettis and held him off long enough to win a decision. Some fans called it lay and pray and said it made a promising fight extremely boring.Othe…

On Saturday night, Clay Guida executed his game plan to perfection, took down a superior striker in Anthony Pettis and held him off long enough to win a decision.

Some fans called it lay and pray and said it made a promising fight extremely boring.

Others said it was the perfect way to shut down a fighter like Pettis, and that the constant submission attempts from Pettis on the bottom made it impossible for Guida to try and mount any offense of his own.

Obviously, there are two sides to every argument, but the one thing that tonight showed us is that Guida has become a serious contender for UFC gold.

Dana White has constantly told us that styles make fights, and if we believe him, then you have to believe that Guida’s style makes him a tough matchup for anyone in the division.

The dream skill set for Guida, a wrestler who likes to grind out opponents, comes down to three things.

Relentless pressure and cardio.
The ability to stifle submissions from the fighter on bottom.
An iron chin to prevent you from getting caught on the way in for a takedown.

Guida exhibited once again that he has the best cardio in the sport, going full speed at Pettis for 15 minutes and showing his submission defense has improved dramatically since joining Greg Jackson’s camp in late 2009.

On top of that, Guida’s chin has never come into question as he has never been knocked out in 40 career bouts and has very rarely been rocked. His insane recovery after being kicked in the face by Diego Sanchez comes to mind when you think about how awesome his chin is.

The bottom line is that while Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard are both wrestlers who sit at the top of the division, Guida is a real threat to whichever one of them wins their title fight later this year.

Edgar was able to stuff a few of Maynard’s takedowns back at UFC 125, but he lost his only fight to Maynard back in 2008 by being held on his back for three rounds.

You have to wonder if Guida’s relentless pressure would eventually get to him in a five-round title fight, as it is unlikely that Edgar could finish Clay.

On the other side, Maynard has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the sport but he showed that his cardio is a bit lacking when he tired out against Edgar back on New Year’s Day.

If Guida was able to avoid the big shot and put the pressure on Maynard for the first couple rounds, he could possibly steal a decision in the later rounds.

A few years ago, it would have been laughable to even suggest that Guida would even be able to get a title shot in the UFC, never mind actually wear the belt.

But it seems like Greg Jackson has turned Guida into a focused, energy driven machine, and it is quite possible that the TUF 13 finale was the beginning of the ‘Era of the Carpenter.’

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